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(No Model.)

A. LATHAM. DIE FOR APPLYING PLASTIC GOVERINGS 0N EYELETS.

No. 571,837. Patented Nov. 24, 1896,

INVENTOH7 A TTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT @rrrcn.

ALBERT LATI-IAM, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

DIE FOR APPLYING PLASTIC COVERlNGS ON EYELETS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 571,837, dated November24, 1896.

Application filed March 16, 1896. serial No. 583,396 (No model.)

To all whont it may concern;

Be it known that I, ALBERT LATHAM, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Diesfor Applying Plastic Coverin gs on Eyelets, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to improvements in dies for use in applyingplastic coverings to the flanged tops or heads of eyelets.

The present improvements in dies relate more particularly to the lowerdie of the set, that is the one havinga hole or socket for the receptionof the tubular shank of the eyelet, and above and around the mouth ofwhich the fiange liead lies; and the principal object of the improvementis to provide in the lower die means whereby the flange-head of theeyelet will be properly supported during the covering operation to allowthe plastic material to be molded around the edge of and under theflange, preventing the flange from being, under the extreme hydraulicpressure necessarily employed, forced down to the general plane or topsurface of the receivingdie, whereby would be defeated in whole ordegree the etfectual head-covering operation; and another object of theinvention is to assure the production of eyelets of uniformity as totheir plastic covering, and which, moreover, possess, by reason of thepeculiarities of the die, features of value which become especiallyapparent in the setting of the eyelets in the leather or fabric.

Other advantages accrue from the exercise of the improvements, as willhereinafter more fully appear.

The invention consists, in a set of eyeletcovering dies, in thecombination, with the headcovering die, of the lower or eyelet-receivingdie having the hole or socket therein adapted for the reception of thetubular eyelet-shank, and having at its top, arranged around the mouthof said socket and preferably, though not necessarily, inside of thearea to be overlaid by the completed eyelethead, several separatedupstanding piers or projections upon which the flange-head of the eyeletrests and is efiiciently supported against crushing or collapsing,allowing the plastic material to fi'ow around the edge of the head andunder the same.

The improvements in plastic-covering dies for eyelets are fully andclearly shown in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure l is avertical sectional view, on an enlarged scale, through the set of diesas in the operation of covering the eyelet, the eyelet being thereinshown. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the lower die. The section-line 1 1 onFig. 2 indicates the plane on which the section Fig. 1 is taken. Fig. 3is a sectional view similar to Fig. l, but showing a slightlymoditiedform of the separated piers or supporting abutinents, which form is moreclearly apparent in Fig. 4:, which is a plan view of the lower die. Fig.5 is a sectional view of the lower die of Fig. as taken on the line 5 5.Fig. 6 is a plan view of alower or eyelet-receiving die in which stillanother modified form of the head-supporting piers are shown. Fig. '7 isa central sectional view, still further enlarged, of the eyelet asproduced in these dies; and Fig. 8 is a half bottom plan of the eyelet.

In the drawings, A A represent the dieplates, having preferablyseparately formed and respectively set therein the hardened head-formingdie B and the hardened eyelet receiving and supporting die C.

The head-forinin g die B possesses no novelty so far as this inventionis concerned. The lower die C has the socket or hole a for the receptionof the shank of the eyelet G, and at its top it has arranged around theorifice of the eyelet-receiving socket the several upstanding abutmentsor piers (I, so that whilethe eyelet-shank is in said socket there forthe flange-head is supported above the ordinary surface of the top ofdie 0 with great stability and where the support is most needed.

It will be perceived that while the piers have their positions orextensions from adjacent the neck of the eyelet and outwardly from suchneck sufliciently far to give ainple support their outer edges or endsare within the circle which corresponds to the edge of the head asconstituted by the applied molded pyroxylin f or other equivalentmaterial employed, and which circle is repre sented at m in the planviews, Figs. 2, i, and 6. In the views, Figs. 2 and 5, theregularlyspaced abutments d are shown as having a triangular form withtheir apiees inwardly convergent, and this I regard as the preferredform for these upwardly-projecting parts.

In Fig. 4 the abutmcnts are indicated as of rectangular plan, thelateral and inner end surfaces being upwardly convergent,whereby theypartake of approximately pyramidal forms, and in Fig. 6 the abutmentsare shown circular. The forms of the separated abutments may, however,be varied infinitely without affecting their susceptibility for usefulemployment for the results set forth.

13y reason of the u istanding abutments or piers cl (1 the comparativelydeep depressions 1010 corresponding in form to such piers, are formed inthe under side of the overhanging head of the eyelet which isconstituted by the molded celluloid or equivalent plastic material; andit is to be stated that under this invention eyelets of commonconstruction can be readily covered with plastic ma terial, no expensivetools or machinery being required for the manufacture of speciallyformedeyelet-shells or the flanges thereof; that it is possible to covereyelet-shells of Very thin metal, and that such light eyelets arespecially desirable in the art of setting; that in the operations ofcovering where the headflanges of the eyeletshells are devoid ofcorrugations, depressions, spurs, or other specially-provided formationsthere is greatly increased facility in the handling of the shells andtheir introduction into the dies; that by the aid of these dies itbecomes easy to mold on heads of eyelets of such delicacy anduniformityas to render them adaptable for use in articles of thelightest possible character; that eyelets having plastic coveringheads,as here produced with small though comparatively deep depression 10 inthe under side of the overhanging head allow port-ions of the leather toproject into such depressions, and the set eyelets are prevented fromrotating or working loose in the holes, and that the provision of theindentations or depression serves to economize in the amount of plasticcovering material required, which economy, when the manufacture iscarried out on a large scale, is quite material.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

In a set of eyelet-covering dies the combination with the head-coveringdie, of an eyelet receiving die having a hole or socket therein for thereception of the tubular eye- 1et-shank and having at its top, arrangedaround the mouth of the socket, several separated upstanding piers orprojections upon which the flange-head of the eyelet is supportedagainst crushingor collapsing, allowing the plastic material to flowaround the edge of, and under, the head, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname in presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT L ATHA M \Vitnesses:

WM. S. BELLows, N. M. BELLows.

